• Home
  • Shop
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Embroidery tips
  • Freebies
  • About
  • Contact
Menu

Embellished Elephant

  • Home
  • Shop
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Embroidery tips
  • Freebies
  • About
  • Contact
A picture of hearts stitched in concentric shapes in differing shades of pinks on kraft card. Overlaid is a blue square with white text saying - stitch showcase, backstitch, www.embellishedelephant.co.uk

Stitch Showcase: Backstitch

September 16, 2020

As with running stitch, backstitch is another basic stitch in both hand embroidery and sewing. It is the perfect stitch to use to hand sew fabric together if you are making an item from your embroidered fabric. For embroidery it is great for adding simple details as it can be worked in a straight line or curve.

  • To create the stitch bring the needle up from the back of the fabric (A)

  • Take it back down a few millimetres along (B)

  • Bring the needle up again a few millimetres further along from the first stitch (C)

  • To make the second stitch join onto the first taking the needle down in the same place you completed the first stitch (B)

  • Bring the needle up at (D) and take it down through the fabric at (C)

  • Repeat for the length required.

An illustration of how to stitch backstitch. The illustration is in blue on a white background

Backstitches can be short or long, and can be stitched in straight lines, curves or patterns but backstitch look best when the stitches are of an even length. It is commonly used to outline a section of embroidery, the gold outline of the monogrammed needle minder below is stitched in backstitch. It is great for stitching on paper as it only uses three holes per two stitches as shown in the header picture.

Want to try this stitch? It is one I suggest using in my floral sampler kit.

Enjoyed this blog post? I share embroidery tips and a free embroidery pattern in my monthly newsletter. Sign up here to receive the newsletter on the 1st of each the month.

IMG_5349.JPG
A picture of an embroidered needle minder holding and embroidery needle on the edge of a hoop. The needle minder is stitched on purple fabric with a purple S and pink flowers
In stitch showcase 1 Tags Stitch Showcase, Line Stitch
← Cambodia goldwork projectThe basics of using an embroidery hoop →

Tags

  • About me
  • Artists/Designers
  • Basics
  • Christmas
  • colour
  • Couching Stitch
  • Fabric
  • Filling Stitch
  • Finishing
  • Hoops
  • Isolated Stitch
  • Line Stitch
  • London
  • My Makes
  • Needles
  • Stitch Showcase
  • Texture Stitch
  • Thread
  • Transfer
  • Travel

Latest Posts

Featured
May 1, 2025
How to manage your backlog of craft projects
May 1, 2025
May 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025
What to do if you don't like what you've stitched
Apr 1, 2025
Apr 1, 2025
Feb 15, 2025
How to decide which embroidery stitch to use
Feb 15, 2025
Feb 15, 2025
Feb 1, 2025
Focus on stitches for flowers
Feb 1, 2025
Feb 1, 2025
Jan 1, 2025
Focus on stitches for leaves
Jan 1, 2025
Jan 1, 2025
Nov 1, 2024
Stitch Showcase: Six-pointed star stitch
Nov 1, 2024
Nov 1, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Focus on transferring or tracing patterns
Oct 1, 2024
Oct 1, 2024
Sep 1, 2024
Focus on hoops
Sep 1, 2024
Sep 1, 2024
Aug 1, 2024
A focus on needles
Aug 1, 2024
Aug 1, 2024
Jul 1, 2024
Focus on threads
Jul 1, 2024
Jul 1, 2024

Home — Shop — Stockists — Wholesale — Portfolio — Contact — Reviews — Policies — FAQs